Update from the Farm

Hi farm friends,

After a week of earthquakes and hurricanes, I'm happy to say the farm is still standing and growing (although a little beat up from the heavy winds and rain!). We're cleaning up and recovering and loving the little bit of chill in the early morning air.

It's been awhile since I've updated and I've been busy digging in the dirt, harvesting, going to the SW waterfront market, planting fall seedlings, and having a great time with volunteers! The summer is wrapping up and I am happy to report we have produced hundreds of pounds of tomatoes and what feels like a billion pounds of summer squash. We've been at war with the groundhogs all summer (thanks, Benjamin!) and I have welcomed back our resident family of foxes. We are preparing to welcome DC Farm to School field trips and have recently built our on-site salad bar! Fall is on the way and I am looking forward to having greens--kale, collards, lettuces-- back on the farm.

The big news at Arcadia Farms is our new front field! We are taking over another 1 1/2 acre in the front of the property right on Rt. 1. With the help from the amazing team at Mount Vernon, we will be plowing the brush in the new field and putting down cover crop for the winter. Cover cropping helps add organic material back in to the soil, reduces erosion, smothers weeds and provides habitat for beneficial insects. (For more on cover crops, see this article from Virginia Tech).

Wow, we're busy out at the farm. More updates soon and I hope to see you out in the fields soon!

-Farmer Mo